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Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 02 Feb 2021
Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Toronto/Sputnik: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for the immediate release of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny who was handed a three-and-a-half-year prison term by a Moscow court for violating the terms of his probation.
“Canada strongly condemns Russia’s imprisonment of Alexei Navalny. We call for his immediate release, as well as the release of the peaceful protestors and journalists who have been detained in recent weeks. The justice system must never be abused for political purposes,” Trudeau said in a statement on Tuesday via Twitter.
Canada strongly condemns Russia’s imprisonment of Alexei Navalny. We call for his immediate release, as well as the release of the peaceful protestors and journalists who have been detained in recent weeks. The justice system must never be abused for political purposes. https://t.co/QlXLelmJwe
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 2, 2021
In 2014, Alexey Navalny and his brother Oleg were indicted on charges of embezzlement in dealings with the Russian subsidiary of French cosmetics company Yves Rocher. Alexey got a 3.5-year suspended sentence, with one of the conditions being that he check in with the police in person at least twice a month.
In 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Navalny's house arrest during the Yves Rocher case trial breached several provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights but declined to recognize the case as politically motivated.
The Russian Foreign Ministry previously advised foreign politicians commenting on the Navalny situation to respect international law and pay attention to the issues in their countries.